Letter to Massachusetts Budget Conference Committee supporting FY27 HIV PrEP access provisions and HIV/AIDS funding
House Committee on Ways and Means
24 Beacon Street, Room 243
Boston, MA 02133
Chair Michael Rodrigues
Senate Committee on Ways and Means
24 Beacon Street, Room 212
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Chair Michlewitz, Chair Rodrigues, and Members of the Budget Conference Committee:
The HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute is a national organization promoting quality and affordable healthcare for people living with or at risk of HIV, hepatitis, and other serious and chronic health conditions. As you work to reconcile the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, we write to thank you for your longstanding leadership and advocacy on behalf of the HIV community. We respectfully urge the Conference Committee to adopt two critical HIV priorities passed by the House: (1) the comprehensive HIV PrEP access provisions, and (2) the robust $35 million funding level for the state’s HIV/AIDS and infectious disease programs.
At a time of growing uncertainty around federal HIV prevention policy, Massachusetts has an important opportunity to reaffirm its leadership in ending the HIV epidemic and protecting access to lifesaving prevention and treatment services. We applaud the House for advancing strong HIV-related provisions and encourage the Conference Committee to preserve and strengthen these investments as it finalizes the budget.
PrEP Access and Preventive Coverage Protections
We strongly support the House’s inclusion of comprehensive HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) coverage protections across state-regulated insurance markets, MassHealth, the Group Insurance Commission, and correctional settings. These provisions codify into Massachusetts law existing federal protections under the Affordable Care Act and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation requiring coverage of PrEP medications and related services without cost sharing, prior authorization, step therapy, or other utilization management barriers. This is particularly necessary for commercial insurance coverage.
To ensure that these critical protections extend equitably across all care delivery systems in the Commonwealth, we respectfully request that the Conference Committee adopt the House versions of the following Outside Sections:
- Section 28: State Employees/Group Insurance Commission (GIC)
- Section 36: MassHealth/Medicaid
- Section 38: State and County Correctional Facilities
- Section 40: Commercial Accident and Sickness Insurance Policies
- Section 44: Hospital Service Corporation Plans
- Section 45: Medical Service Corporation Plans
- Section 46: HMO Plans
By codifying comprehensive PrEP coverage standards in state law, the General Court would help protect Bay Staters from potential federal changes while providing certainty for patients, providers, insurers, and public health programs. In doing so, Massachusetts would join a growing number of states, including California, Illinois, Minnesota, Oregon, and the District of Columbia that have taken steps to preserve comprehensive PrEP access protections at the state level, including coverage of FDA-approved PrEP medications without cost sharing or prior authorization. We respectfully urge the Conference Committee to adopt the House PrEP language across these outside sections in full.
HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Funding
We also urge the Conference Committee to adopt the House’s proposed $35 million funding level for line item 4512-0103, HIV/AIDS Prevention Treatment and Services. The Senate proposal would fund the line item at just $31.65 million, which is more than $3 million below the program’s FY2024 funding level.
This funding supports critical HIV testing, linkage to care, treatment access, retention in care, and supportive services for people living with or at risk of HIV. It also supports services related to viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases of public health importance.
Massachusetts has long been a national leader in HIV prevention and care. Preserving the House’s PrEP protections and HIV funding levels would represent an important continuation of that leadership at a moment when federal protections and funding are increasingly uncertain.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact our Government Affairs Manager, Zach Lynkiewicz, at zlynkiewicz@hivhep.org, or our Health Policy Manager, Kevin Herwig, at kherwig@hivhep.org or (617) 666-6634. Thank you for your consideration and leadership on this critical issue.
Sincerely,
Carl E. Schmid II
Executive Director
cc: Senator Joanne Comerford
Senator Patrick O’Connor
Representative Kip Diggs
Representative Todd M. Smola